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Active Training Sessions to Introduce Team Learning

Introduction

Training programs in organizations are often boring and end up with unproductive results. However, there are a number of organizations that spend billions of dollars on conducting training sessions. If you want to make the training sessions more interesting and active, then you should opt for active training strategies.

In this article, we will discuss about active training sessions that help you to engage the team members in an effective manner. This kind of approach involves game playing and other team activities.

Different Elements of Active Training

Trainers should understand that when the trainees are more interested in the training session, they are likely to grasp more information and understand the key concepts. The purpose of training will not be fulfilled, until and unless the trainees gain some knowledge and get benefitted from the training. If you want the trainees to retain the information for much longer period and perform well in their job, then you should incorporate active training sessions.

In active training sessions, the facilitator is supposed to give a short lecture using games, role playing and incorporate other structured activities. The team members should be involved in a variety of events and structured activities that make the learning process much easier. The team should be divided into pairs, where each pair is assigned with an activity.

For example – you can ask the teams to submit expense report on the new system. Whichever team will submit the report first without any errors will get a prize. By doing this way, the team members will show interest in learning and at the same time they will grasp the contents of the training session effectively.

Tips for Effective Training

If you want the active training sessions to be effective, then you should follow the below tips and tricks.

1. Give clear instructions

You should always start active training sessions with some kind of instruction. As a facilitator, it is your duty to present the information clearly, which helps you to lay a string foundation.

2. Keep the lectures short and simple

The training sessions should never be longer than 10-15 minutes. One should think about less talking and more doing. Keep in mind that the average tempo of the trainer should be 100-200 words per minutes. However, if you want to make the training session active, you should speak 100-150 words per minute. The reason behind this is – the trainees are thinking while you are talking. If you are talking at a fast rate, then they are likely to miss a few important points.

3. Make use of repetition

Training repetition mean that you distil the portions of training into images and slogans. You can include photos, icons, illustrations and other things to get the point across. Before you continue with new material, you should recap the previous sessions.

4. Develop the objectives and outcomes

The objectives the training session should describe what the trainees will be able to learn after the training. The learning outcome should establish the criteria by which the training will become a success. The objectives and leaning outcomes should be aligned with the current profile of the employee with the mission and vision of the organization.

5. Access multiple resources

Delivery of active training can be provided by using external as well as in-house resources. The in-house trainers can provide flexibility and great understanding of the issues that are required for training. Using external resources may create a simple separation between the trainer and issue at hand.

6. Apply knowledge in right direction

It is very easy to forget something if you fail to use your knowledge properly. The team members will be motivated easily, if you can put the right information at the right place. When somebody returns from the training session, you should assign the team member some work related to the topics discussed in the training session. This helps them to recollect the points, which they learned through active training.

7. Set goals and expectations

The group should know the goals and expectations of the training session. This helps them to understand what skills you want them to learn. You can do this by creating a structure and presenting the background information related to the topic. You need to make sure that the groups stay on the assigned task throughout the training session.

8. Use a matrix and give every team member a chance

Many companies make use of spreadsheets. You can ask for help, if you don’t have knowledge of spreadsheets. This can give a motivating effect and will help you engage the trainees. Another important thing to remember is giving each member a chance to present their views. As a facilitator, you should have trust and confidence in them. You need to make them feel that their contribution is important, which will have a positive effect on the dynamics of the team.

The attitude of such environment gives rise to excellent and productive results. When everyone is expert in something, then we can say you have accomplished on achieving the main goals of active training.

Active Training Techniques

Active training allows the team members to learn new skills through a variety of techniques. Some of the popular techniques are – Jigsaw design, information search, learning tournaments, role playing etc. These techniques allow the team members to teach new skills and information. The jigsaw design can be used to support the learning process, and involves dividing the group into small sections. By the end of each session, everyone will be taught with the new skills in detail and are ready to apply in different scenarios.

Summary

Active training allows the people to get engaged in their learned and helps them to retain their skills in an effective manner. It is important to maintain a perfect structure during active sessions. As a facilitator, you should always remember to keep the session short and simple and leave the end to summarize the key points. One may need advanced planning to conduct active training compared to traditional method of training. You will be provided with more benefits in short term as well as long terms.